Hello all, I started wearing a heartrate monitor during excercise a while ago. I think most of you are familiar with the zones 'fat burning', 'aerobic' etc. My prolem is that I have trouble reaching even the lowest zone (fat burning), I'll run with all my might, panting, but it is impossible to keep my heart rate up.

I do have a very low resting heartrate, even morbidly obese (and with no exercise at all) my resting heartrate would go under 50 when sitting on a chair. Could this have anything to do with it? Maybe the difference is too big? Or am I just not fit enough?

(My doctor knows about my slow heartrate and has reassured me she can't hear anything wrong with it)

I don't think I have ever, ever gotten my heart rate into the target zone. I don't know if it's my muscles or my willpower, but it seriously hasn't happened. I exercise a lot (90 min cardio/30 minutes weight lifting) a day, every day, and let me tell you, moderate exercise can still burn plenty of calories. I am eating 1800-1900 calories a day and losing 2 lbs a weeks, which means I am averaging a 1000 calorie a day deficit. The only way that is happening is if that exercise is effective.

Another one who can't get even close to the 60% "fat burning" zone. And the fitter I get, the better my resting rate so the number is getting even further away. But my doctor loves the way my resting heart rate has dropped and my body is certainly dropping the fat so I don't even look at it anymore.

Wow! That's interesting. I'm envious. My resting HR is low, but my HR goes into the target zone and stays there-- even going above my theoretical target zone...

Go by feel. Most of the time should be "I can talk" Some of the time "I can talk but I'd really rather not" and occasionally intentional short intervals of "Talk? yeah. right"

If your heart rate isn't going up enough your not working hard enough.

The harder you work the higher the muscular demand for oxygen and nutrition if your won't go up enough your not working the muscles enough simples

Quillie, that's so interesting, because I have the opposite problem -- my heart rate skyrockets! I've been an on-again/off-again jogger for 18 years, and this has always been the case. My RHR is pretty low (though not below 50), but once I get moving, it goes up up up! But using Ennay's scale, I can pretty much chat all the way through a run so I guess I'm OK.

I know the zones they give are a rough guide. At my gym, you can do this test, where you run on a treadmill wearing a max that measures (I think) the amount of oxygen you exhale. Or something. Anyway, the point of it is that it apparently gives you customized zones, much more accurate than charts based just on age. I'm thinking about doing it, but since there's some disagreement about the importance of zones (some argue that it's purely calories burned, zone be darned), I'm hesitant to cough up the $200 or so that it costs.

Just of of curiosity, how fast are you running? If you're on a treadmill, are you using an incline?

Then I lost 115+ pounds being a lazy slob. I highly recommend it.

Seriously, advice like this really hurts people: it makes them feel like failures and like there is no point in trying if they aren't doing it --or can't do it-- the "right" way.

I like this way of monitoring the best... as you get fitter you'll see that you can talk at the times when you couldn't before... Hang in there, enjoy your progresses even when they're small...

OP asked why their HR wasn't getting up to the target level I answered it. It's simple physiology the harder you work the faster your heart pumps therefore if the OP isn't getting the heart rate up the intensity is too low.

I also use the "talk test".

Yeah, I like Ennay's suggestion and don't know enough to combat what slimmings said, but would if I could.

I have the opposite problem! I used to have a HR of 95ish and my heart rate would sky rocket to 175 with anything I considered a workout. Now my HR is a ridiculous 46ish and heavy cardio brings my HR up to 160ish. Staying within those heart rate zones??? Well, if I did that, I'd be on a nice leisurely walk...and would probably have to pause often to bring my HR back down.

So on either extreme, I'd say the talk test is the best indicator. I call it "perceived effort".

My spin instructor calls this "sentences" and "words" - as in, "can you feel your sentences?" "can you feel your words?"

At first I was like, what in the WORLD is she talking about, but then she explained -

Your low heart rate is "I can speak full sentences."
Your medium heart rate is "I can speak a few words"
Your high heart rate is "There is no talking, I can't get it out"

So during spin, she'll say, "Get up there and feel your words! You shouldn't feel your sentences!" which I now know to mean, "get your heart rate up high enough that you could only speak a few words."

I find this a little silly, but extremely easy to understand, and applicable.

Tbh what slimmingsi said is the truth and you shouldn't be getting at him for trying to be honest. The OP asked a question, he simply answered with a logical and truthful answer. There was nothing hurtful or abusive about what he said. He simply told her what she needed to do to rectify the situation.

Roobear, I'm not convinced that's true.

I know that those of us on one extreme have heart rates well over the recommended number and yet our perceived effort suggests otherwise. So I believe it's possible that those of us on the other extreme could potentially be way under the recommended number and yet our perceived effort would suggest we're "in the zone".

I really think it's about perceived effort...